Whilst `Bonnie and Clyde' is revered for being a gangster movie/character study/comedy/action/social commentary....`Heavenly Creatures' goes further in combining genres and styles to create a wholly fantastic experience. Besides, any movie that features "The Third Man" has some worth.
`Heavenly Creatures' is at once a psychological thriller, a comedy, a romance, a buddy movie, a fantasy, an engaging character study, and a tragedy. It is never a murder mystery - even if we hadn't seen the tagline, the wild camera shots and screaming at the beginning let us know that something has gone wrong. We learn what it is, and by this time we know full well who's going to do it.
Anyone who looks at my list of pros and objects to `realistic' has a point. How can a movie be realistic with such amazing fantasy sequences? [incidentally, this is one of the few movies I know that uses computer graphics to enhance the story rather than for bigger explosions or better fight scenes] The realism lies in the dialogue and behaviour. It's wonderful how Jackson captures the mood of an all-girls' private school with one word: "Sit!".
Dialogue is something that is often overused, but Jackson uses the perfect amount, realising that images are more powerful than words. He shows us `MAD' unrolling, and gives us little character notes, like the sandwiches left in pockets, or singing with the fish. Rather than spend time letting these characters give long speeches about themselves, we are told who they are in the shortest scenes.
One of the movie's themes is relationships. Juliet and Pauline do not have very close relationships with anyone at the beginning of the movie, and form a relationship together. This is despite their terribly different backgrounds. Even though Juliet is seemingly in charge of the friendship, neither girl is particularly dominating, although Pauline does want to *be* Juliet. But Juliet gives her self-confidence, something no one has, and Pauline gives Juliet the devotion her parents never did.
As their relationships with others disintegrate, theirs grows stronger, to the point where their parents become worried. They do care, but the children cannot realise it. Are they doing the right thing by trying to separate Juliet and Pauline? At this point, they have not done anything wrong but become best friends. (anyway, a cure for h-ho-h-homosexuality will be developed soon)
Even after they murder Pauline's mother, in horrible fashion, we still feel for them. I honestly felt worse after seeing the two girls torn apart than seeing them smash Honora's head with a brick. It's one of those situations where we know that she was trying to do what was best, but we still felt she was wrong.
What makes this movie truly intriguing is the voice-overs. They were taken directly from Pauline's diaries. We are dealing with an extraordinary girl here. How many of us could write like that at her age? I don't mean her pulp romances, but her diaries. How many of us were that self-assured to go and get a job like she did? Ultimately she is still a teenager, but what makes this movie sad is that she could have been anything. I wonder how she is now.
Over the end credits, Mario Lanza sings "You'll Never Walk Alone." Go talk to your best friend and dream with them. Don't kill your mother, but let them know you value them.
Magic Moment? - well, I guess
"It is indeed a miracle, one must feel
That two such Heavenly Creatures are real"
Thrilling and provocative, Heavenly Creatures is the highly acclaimed, true-life story of the shocking crime that stunned a nation! When circumstances...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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